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What can you do when a longstanding volunteer starts to struggle in their role? This may be through age, declining health or some other reason. As a manager of volunteers, you will almost certainly face this issue at some point in your career. And there’s no easy answer. Often, volunteering is central to the person’s […]

Success in recruiting volunteers and growing your team is usually considered a positive development, and indeed it is. But it can throw up new challenges too. The increase in volunteer numbers isn’t always supported by additional hours in the volunteer manager’s day! A common frustration amongst volunteer managers is that it is difficult to provide […]

In a climate of shrinking training budgets, you may be seeking alternative methods to develop staff and volunteers. Workplace mentoring and coaching are two development techniques that can be delivered in-house. Both approaches have the benefit of meeting an individual’s unique needs at a relatively low cost. The terms are often used interchangeably because there are some common […]

As a great manager, you need to create and maintain an environment where staff and volunteers feel motivated and inspired to do their best work. In other words, you need to become a leader. So leadership starts with you. The qualities and behaviours you demonstrate will have a big impact on the people that you work with. And the first […]

It’s the part of the job most managers dread – dealing with tricky or sensitive problems involving volunteers. Problems are inevitable from time to time, even when your volunteering programme is well managed and resourced. You may recognise some of the following types of situations: A conflict of interest between what a volunteer wants to do, and what the […]

An experience that most managers of volunteers share is that of being over-stretched time wise. Given that there are only so many hours in the day, one of the most valuable things that you can do is decide to take control of how you spend your time. It is vital to keep your priorities in […]

For most of us it’s important that our jobs offer opportunities for personal and professional development, and as we grow our knowledge, confidence and skills we hope to see career progression too. Volunteer managers need to employ a range of leadership skills such as motivating people, inspiring volunteers to buy in to organisational values, and […]

Causes of conflict You would be fortunate to get through a career as a manager of volunteers without occasionally encountering conflict between the people you work with. Psychologists Art Bell and Brett Hart suggest that it is easier to choose an appropriate response to dealing with conflicts or difficulties if you have first worked out […]

Have you ever wondered if there’s a key to managing different people, when you seem to find some volunteers much easier to deal with than others. Personality profiling can provide valuable insights and information to help you as a manager. There are a variety of profiles available, and this article will look at DISC, a […]

It is becoming easier and less expensive to connect virtually, and in a user friendly way. Some of you reading this will be familiar with a wide range of communications technology, some of you perhaps less so. And of course it is the same for your volunteers. With the right tools, you can find ways […]